DorkbotBRU#8

Special Werktank

iMAL invites the artist collective "De Werktank" to talk about some of their projects. Among those, "Static" and "Continuization Loop" by Wim Janssen - who received a honorary mention in last September's Ars Electronica festival - or "Heads", Ief Spincemaille's newest project. Finally, Kurt D'Haeseleer will present the brand new "WERKTANK" publication that illustrates the collective's installations.

Static / Continuization Loop by Wim Janssen

"Static/Continuization Loop are two works by Wim Janssen about the phenomenon of television static. The same recognizable and commonly known image of television static is being generated through two completely different techniques. Not the image itself, but the way it is reconstructed and materialised, is the most important part of the Statics-series."

Playing with polarising filters and 35mm film loops set in motion by a structure designed by the artist, Wim Janssen's work explores the vision phenomenon with a very analogue approach, in a world soaked with high definition pictures.

Heads (work in progress) by Ief Spincemaille

Using a mini-camera fit on rotating arms, Ief Spincemaille recreates a 3D projection device without the use of a powerful computer. This system allows 5 spectators to view a 3D projection that accommodates to their movements.

As always in Ief Spincemaille's work, low tech and its high tech potential collate in a set up that challenges the spectator's view on himself and his environment.

About Werktank

The Werktank is a new organisation for media art, which focuses on the practical aspects of the artistic work, rather than the theoretical. The Werktank is a bastard child of the Filmfabriek and has mutated into a fully new lifeform. The core team consists of Kurt d'Haeseleer and Ief Spincemaille.

In our headquarters in a reconverted milk factory in Bierbeek, artists from different backgrounds are investigating how to transform glass into pixels or how to turn human heads into photo cameras . They are building 3D mountains from steel wire, try to look behind the horizon or are subtracting memories from subtitles.